1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to urns used for burying or preserving the remains of humans and animals and, more specifically, to a crematory urn for disposing of the cremated remains of a deceased person or animal in a dignified manner leaving a tree or a plant as a living monument to said person or animal.
2. Discussion of the Background
Present day burial practices include those which consist of the fixation of the deceased with toxic chemicals. The body is then contained in a coffin (usually wood or metal) and placed in the ground with a metal, stone, or other commemorative symbol over the grave site. This leads to the use of land sites as cemeteries which are unattractive to the community. Further, the preservation of the body is not consistent with a return of human composition to the natural elements of the world. Methods and apparatus for the dignified handling and burial of human remains have a long history of development, and people worldwide have evolved a variety of rituals and processes to fulfill these solemn tasks. One universal element in virtually all approaches to interment is a desire for a high degree of permanence in the processes invoked.
Cremation of both human and animal remains also has a long history of usage in many cultures, and is recently becoming the process of choice for an increasingly large number of societies. Many factors are contributing to the recent shift away from conventional grave-site burials towards cremation, not the least of which are practical considerations. However, given the high cultural importance of burials, the primary humanitarian criteria for interment have always, and most likely will continue to prevail. These are: a universal desire for dignified handling of the deceased; a desire for permanence in the disposition of the resulting remains; and, oftentimes, a preference for a specific location for the final resting place of the remains.
Cremation is used extensively today as an alternative to burial or entombment of a deceased person or animal. Cremation is generally less expensive than the more established burial practices and involves fewer ecological and land use problems. In addition, cremated remains can be more easily stored at a repository located in a home or church and if necessary can be easily transferred to another repository. The cremation remains, also commonly referred to as the cremation ashes or cremains are placed in the urn after cremation of the body has taken place. The ashes are either then permanently stored in said urn and buried or stored within mausoleums or elsewhere. Sometimes the urn is taken out to sea and thrown overboard or opened and the ashes sprinkled upon the sea.
Cremation urns traditionally have comprised a decorative body containing a chamber for housing the cremated remains of the deceased. Several attributes and characteristics are typically desired from burial urns. The first desirable attribute is the presence of an outer surface which provides an aesthetically pleasing appearance, thereby making the burial urn suitable for the religious ceremonies that frequently accompany the passing of the deceased. Second, the burial urn preferably is constructed in such a manner so as to effectively protect the urn""s contents from external forces that are often imparted thereon. For example, the burial urn generally must be capable of withstanding deterioration and erosion that can be caused by moisture. In addition, generally it is desirable that the burial urn be impervious to rupture in case the urn is accidentally struck.
Various types of cremation urns are available, including an urn that dissolves when submersed in water (Casimir, U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,958), an environmentally degradable urn for burial of human cremation ashes in cemeteries (Vail, U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,418), and a burial urn for displaying a memorial in shape of a book (Kohnert, U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,848). In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,642 to Order discloses an ecological burial method and apparatus where a tree is planted above a biodegradable coffin structure so that when the coffin structure biodegrades the nutrient or fertilizer, or combinations thereof, are capable of being supplied to the tree to create an ecologically sound environment. None of these devices or methods in the prior art, however, provides a crematory urn, with an associated burial method, which provides a dignified manner of disposing of the cremains while at the same time taking advantage of the cremation option and leaving a living monument to the deceased. Thus, there is a need for a cremation urn and burial method which overcomes these and other deficiencies in the prior art.
The object of the present invention is to provide a dignified manner of disposing of the cremated remains of the deceased.
It is a further object of the present invention to reconsider the traditional tendencies of burial and monumentalization as practiced within the classic xe2x80x9ccemetery-entombmentxe2x80x9d tradition, and to provide a humane and ecologically sound alternative to the modern funeral practice.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a burial urn that provides an aesthetically pleasing outer appearance.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a burial urn constructed from an inexpensive material.
It is an object of the urn of the present invention to provide a burial urn made of a material which will facilitate an easy fragmentation under compression thus enabling a tree or plant to grow from within.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a burial urn made from materials which are preferably all environmentally safe so that they will not pollute the environment.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an alternative burial method that saves cemetery space, preserves land, and is economical.
The urn itself, both as to its construction and its mode of operation, will be best understood, and additional objects and advantages thereof will become apparent, by the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
When the word xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d is used in this specification, the word xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d includes xe2x80x9cinventionsxe2x80x9d, that is, the plural of xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d. By stating xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d, the Applicant does not in any way admit that the present application does not include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention, and Applicant maintains that the present application may include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention. The Applicant hereby asserts, that the disclosure of the present application may include more than one invention, and, in the event that there is more than one invention, that these inventions may be patentable and non-obvious one with respect to the other.